Celebrating Black History Month

February is Black History Month and starting this week, we’ll be sharing a series of posts celebrating many of the tremendously talented and influential Black designers, artists, makers, historians and creatives that are and always have been a fundamental part of the creative community. I am always excited to work on this month’s content, but I wanted to take a moment to note that these posts are only a small part our commitment to celebrating not only Black creatives, but the richly talented community of all creatives of color.

Too often the accomplishments of artists and designers of color are limited to roundups and once-a-year mentions, and our commitment here at D*S is to always ensure that we celebrate incredible makers and creatives of color not just once a year, but every month, week and day. Failing to offer anything less than complete (and joyful) inclusivity is a disservice to both people of color in our community and to our reading audience as a whole. I deeply regret that this wasn’t a commitment I made from day one of Design*Sponge. But I promise that I will always work hard to listen more than I speak, provide a place for others to tell their stories in their own words, and will never forget that my experience is not universal and that it is my job (and my privilege) to use any platforms we have to celebrate voices that have not historically been given the same opportunities, access and support.

The worlds of art, design and creativity are rich and varied ones, made up of people from different backgrounds, races, ages, sexualities, abilities, gender presentations, religions and so many other identities. This month we are excited to focus on celebrating Black artists and makers, but we are also excited to celebrate Black artists, makers, homeowners, business owners and much, much more every other day of the year. And we will keep working hard to make sure every month we share the stories, work and homes of people who represent everyone in our community and all of their unique and varied paths to creativity, business and expression. Thank you for sharing your time and your talents with us — we are so honored to be a part of this amazing community. xo, Grace

*Pennant above by the always inspiring Rayo & Honey

from Design*Sponge http://www.designsponge.com/2018/02/celebrating-black-history-month.html

from Home Improvment http://notelocreesnitu.tumblr.com/post/170385022599